Provide a legal right to access certain services without a digital device

We call on the Government to make it law that all British citizens have a legal right to access certain services without a digital device. Protect the right to choose a non-digital or digital life—and ensure digital is a choice, not a requirement, for anyone, anywhere, at any age.

As digital norms spread, many real-world options disappear. We think no one should face barriers to healthcare, education, banking, travel, culture or telephone communication because they cannot—or choose not to—use a digital device. This is about freedom of choice and the right to choose whether to live without—or be surrounded by—the internet.

Without non-digital alternatives, we may lose our ability to make that choice—and our children grow up thinking they never had one.

We know that digital inclusion can transform people’s lives for the better. Families can save money on their groceries and energy bills when they shop online; those looking for work can find better job opportunities and earn more; and people can more easily access the services they need – including the NHS and welfare. Research from the Centre for Social Justice (https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/library/left-out) shows that people who are online are more likely to be in well-paying jobs and can save up to 25% on things like home insurance, train travel and food compared to consumers who are not online.

That is why digital inclusion is at the heart of how we deliver better designed, time-saving public services. We must ensure as many people as possible can access public services digitally, but that we also support the digitally excluded. To this end, in February we published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, which sets out our immediate actions to deliver digital inclusion for everyone across the UK, regardless of their circumstances.

One area of focus is about making government digital services easier to use. UK citizens can access essential public sector services using digital or non-digital means. In the UK, essential public services include healthcare, emergency services, education and social care.

There are no plans currently to legislate to provide the right of access, including through non-digital means, to services that extend beyond essential public sector services. We encourage key private sector services important to people’s daily lives – like banking, utilities and online shopping – to prioritise inclusive digital services, and remain committed to working with industry and the voluntary sector to explore opportunities to align.

We are committed to ensuring all public services are accessible to users with impairments or disabilities. This is a legal requirement under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 and the Government Service Standard Sets best practice for accessibility, including ensuring offline routes are well supported – for example telephone support, alternative paper forms and postal routes, or face-to-face assessments where needed.

Below we set out some of the ways that people can access public sector services, with or without digital skills or devices, ensuring everyone is supported.

NHS: To ensure patients are not digitally excluded, GPs should provide the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. The NHS have also committed to work with digital transformation teams in integrated care boards and with groups at risk of digital exclusion to ensure digital solutions are inclusive.

People unable to access online services, or visit their GP in person, can ask for a feature called proxy access available through the NHS App. This allows a relative or carer to act on the patient’s behalf, so that they can help them manage their health and care.

Local councils: Local councils have a legal obligation to ensure their services are accessible. This includes offering non-digital options for all vital services, such as applications for Council Tax reductions, Housing Benefit, and Blue Badges. All public sector bodies, including local councils, must comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines aimed at improving web accessibility.

Employment: Local Jobcentres provide face-to-face appointments for those unable to use digital services and have dedicated support in the form of Disability Employment Advisers for customers with health barriers.

Personal Identification: The government has committed to a new, free national digital pass to empower people in their lives. It will be inclusive, secure and useful. As part of our consultation in the new year, we will be considering approaches like a digitally-enabled physical alternative for those without access to technology, in-person onboarding support for those who struggle to engage digitally, and a dedicated case working function for those who may struggle to initially prove their identity and access the system.

This is in parallel to existing forms of ID that can be applied for online or by post, including driving licences and passports.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

This is a revised response. The Petitions Committee requested a response which more directly addressed the request of the petition. You can find the original response towards the bottom of the petition page https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/725049